Til Death Do Us Part
by Sweety The Chick
Summary: A.U Star Wars Story. Chae Jinn, daughter of Jedi Master Qui Gon Jinn, returns to Coruscant to receive bad news about somebody very close to her. This is my first attempt at a Star Wars fan fiction. I obviously do not own Star Wars or any of the planets, characters etc. I only really own my own original characters.


This story is set about two years before The Phantom Menace. Chae Jinn, daughter of Qui-Gon Jinn and late Jedi Knight Fyre, returns home from Naboo only to receive bad news about her fiancé.

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'Till death do us part.

Chae Jinn was glad to be back Coruscant. She had just spent two weeks on Naboo with her Jedi master Plo Koon. Master Koon had insisted on Chae going to the quiet planet to concentrate on her training, as he felt she had been a little distracted recently. Chae had liked her stay on Naboo, it had given her the chance to work on her Force powers and lightsabers skills, but she had missed her home and longed to go back.

The two Jedi made their way to a small conference room on of the upper floors of the Jedi Temple. Chae had always loved the Jedi Temple, with it's beautiful architecture and the occasional plant sitting in an ornate pot on the floor or piece of art hanging from the walls.

"I am very pleased with your progress", Plo Koon said. "I foresee that you will become a great Jedi Knight". He then chuckled and said, "let's just hope you don't end up as reckless as your father".

Chae loved getting praise from her master, but his comment about Qui-Gon hurt. Chae didn't see her father as reckless or a rule breaker, just different. Just because the Council didn't always agree with him, it didn't make him a bad person. Why couldn't the council see that sometimes there wasn't always a set way of doing things. When they got to the conference room Yoda, Mace Windu and Adi Gallia were already there, along with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi-Wan's warm smile greeted Chae as she walked in. Chae returned his smile.

"Please, be seated", Yoda said. Chae knew what this was all about. Yoda wanted to know how the Naboo trip went, from her point of view. It was something he liked to do, quizzing the padawans when they went to other planets to train. He felt off-world training had its benefits for some students.

"It was beautiful", Chae said. "I've never been anywhere so beautiful or stunning, maybe apart from Endor".

The meeting was over quite quickly, which Chae was pleased about. She wasn't feeling so good. Qui-Gon noticed and pulled her to one side while everyone was leaving. After giving her a big lecture on taking it easy and all, he smiled and said "I'm sorry to go on at you, but it's because I love you". With that, he hugged her. Feeling his arms around her made her feel warm and reassured. "Go on, get back home...rest", he said releasing her.

Chae headed back to her apartment that she shared with her best friend, Asia. Asia was a green skinned Twi'lek. She was also training as a Jedi under Master Zorro, but her Force powers were nowhere near as strong as Chae's.

"Hey you don't look so good", Asia observed as Chae walked through the door.

Chae sighed and said "it's nothing...really. I'm probably just tired". She went to her bedroom.

Taking off her black coloured hooded robe, she sat at her dressing table, catching sight of her reflection as she did so. She did look pale and the emerald green eyes that looked back at her looked tired and didn't seem to have their usual sparkle. She had felt that way for some time now but she had chosen, up until now, to ignore it. It would pass she reassured herself.

Chae untied her long dark brown hair from its waist long plait and reached for her hairbrush, knocking over the framed photo of her fiancé at the same time. Her fiancé was Omar Organa, a Jedi knight from Alderaan. He was tall, strong, tanned skin, dark haired with brooding dark eyes. He was the nephew of Bail Organa, who was well known in the world of politics. Omar had also been away for a while, on a mission to Tatooine. Chae was happy, as he was due home that very day. Chae missed him and longed to be in his arms again. She glanced at the beautiful ring on her finger and smiled.

As she brushed her hair, the chime of her apartment rang. Chae leapt to her feet, hoping it would be Omar. "I'll get it", Asia called.

A young starship pilot stood at the door. He was quite young, no older than about twenty four with sandy coloured spiky hair. "May I speak with miss Chae Jinn? I have an urgent message for her". His grey eyes had look of urgency about them.

"Yeah come in", Asia said, feeling a little concerned. Chae walked out of her room and was greatly disappointed to see the pilot & not the man she was to marry.

"Are you, Chae?" He asked. Chae nodded. He took a deep breath. "I have some bad news regarding Jedi knight Omar Organa". A look of grave concern crossed her face. Chae knew the mission Omar had been sent on was dangerous but had the worse happened. "I'm afraid he was tragically killed whilst on Tatooine. He was apparently attacked by a dangerous gang of Rodians called The Tatooine Hunters".

"_No_!" Chae cried, shaking, "you're wrong."

The pilot shook his head. "I really wish I was".

Chae broke down, falling to her knees & sobbing. Asia knelt in front of her and held her tight. All of Chae's dreams had been shattered in an instant. The pilot decided it was best if he left. Pulling herself away from Asia, Chae wanted to be with her father, so she left her apartment to go and find him. He was in the meditation room of the Jedi Temple when she found him. He knew something was wrong the moment she walked in.

"What's happened?" He asked. Still crying, she told him about her lost love. Qui-Gon set her down on some cushions near a sun lit window & knelt in front of her.

"He is one with the Force now, you must try to let go", Qui-Gon whispered but he knew that would be the most difficult thing for Chae to do. Qui-Gon out his hand under her chin and raised her head up to face him. "You know I have a feeling that Omar isn't completely dead. He is still living inside you".

Chae looked at him, a bit surprised. What did he mean by that? But she didn't feel like working out his cryptic riddles right now. She leaned forward & hugged him. "I'm scared, I don't know what to do", she said softly.

Qui-Gon reassured her that things would be okay, that one day she would recover from this tragedy. "Go home now, get some sleep. Maybe you'll feel a little better after some rest".

Chae agreed. Maybe the fact she was exhusted and unwell was making everything seem ten times worse. But as she stood up and began to leave, her vision blurred and the room seemed to spin. Then everything went black...she had fainted. She woke up lying on a bed in the medical room. A young Mon Calamarian nurse was seated by some equipment, looking at a monitor, whilst four protocol droids went about their business.

She looked around herself, feeling very light headed and dizzy. Images of Omar flooded her mind and quickly her eyes filled with tears again. "Omar!" She whispered. "Why? Why? Why you?" She banged her fist on the bed she was lying on angrily then instantly regretted it. A headache came with a vengeance.

_Calm...relax,_ Chae thought. She attempted a Jedi relaxation technique that her father had taught her a few weeks before. It worked somewhat. Chae sighed, then thought about what the young pilot had said.

_Attacked by a gang of Rodians called the Tatooine Hunters. Why haven't I heard of them before? Who are they? They aren't the same as the Tuskan Raiders are they? Could they be savages-creatures that just attack anyone on sight because they feel threatened? Was my dear Omar simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? No...I cannot believe that. Nothing happens by accident. Nothing is coincidental. One of the first things father taught me. I must find out what really happened._

Like a shot, Chae flew from the bed and ran from the medical room, ignoring her searing headache. She was determined to find out what really happened to her dear Omar. She flew down the hall, determined to talk to somebody. The Mon Calamarian nurse appeared at the doorway of the medical room, yelling for Chae to return to her bed immediately. But Chae would not be stopped. She was just a blur of black cat suit with her long brown hair steaming behind her, still loose from where she had untied it earlier. She ran to a turbo lift and rode it to the floor of her master's room. Chae emerged when it stopped and went to his chambers. She rang his bell and waited. Nothing. She rang again. Still nothing.

"Where is he?" Chae muttered quietly to herself. Chae then spotted a young servant girl walking down the hall. "Excuse me," she began, "have you seen Master Plo Koon?"

"Yes. He, your father & his apprentice were summoned to meet with the Jedi Council about something".

Chae's eyes shot up. "Oh really?" She smiled at the servant. "Thank you," she said, giving her a gentle smile.

The servant smiled back. "I heard what happened. I'm so sorry miss Jinn."

Chae thought of Omar and frowned, dropping her eye contact with the servant. "It's, it's okay." Jedi Council? Why didn't father say something? "I don't want to keep you from your duties. If you see my father or Master Plo Koon please tell them that I need to talk to them".

"Yes, miss Jinn", the servant responded, then walked off briskly.

Chae thought of returning to her room, but knowing Asia, she would make her return to the medical ward. So she just stared out of the window at the never ending city of lights that was Coruscant. Tears came to her eyes again as she thought of Omar. He so much enjoyed being on Coruscant, the beauty of the planet was amazing to him. Chae blinked back her tears and once again forced herself to bury those feelings and forced Omar out of her mind. She decided to go to the Jedi Council's meeting room to wait for her father and master Plo Koon to emerge and to finally tell her what was going on. She stepped back into the turbo shaft and quickly made her way there. The usual two guards were outside the door of their meeting room, ensuring privacy and the security of whatever happened inside.

Chae stood outside the door but the guards just smiled sadly at her, their way of showing sympathy for what had happened to her unfortunate fiancé. They let her stand there, knowing Chae often stayed outside waiting for either her master or father to emerge. However, they did not know that Chae could hear what was going on inside of the meeting room. Chae had an unusually profound sense of hearing, aided greatly by her knowledge of the Force. She had to strain but she could make out some of what they were saying.

She heard Obi-Wan's voice. "So...you feel that Omar Organa's murder was premeditated, master Windu?"

"Yes," the Jedi master answered. "Yesterday shortly before his death, I felt a disturbance in the Force".

Chae gasped. One of the guards looked at her and she could do nothing but give him a sheepish grin. _Not an accident? Why would anyone want to kill Omar? Well, he did have royal blood. Surely he must have had some enemies, but he was on a diplomatic mission! How could this happen?_

"I too felt a disturbance," Qui-Gon said.

"As did I", echoed Plo Koon. "We would request permission to go to Tatooine to find out the cause of this matter".

There was a brief silence. "Go to Tatooine you may", said Yoda. "But fail to see the reason for this I do".

"Master Yoda, it is obvious that whoever these 'Tatooine Hunters' are, they are powerful enough to slay even a Jedi knight," came Qui-Gon's cool but ever-growing-further-impatient tone. "Plo Koon, Obi-Wan and I think that this is a very urgent matter that needs to be looked into as soon as possible".

Another silence. "Understand your concern the Jedi Council does. Go in peace, may the Force be with you".

"We will keep you informed", Plo Koon added.

Chae's first impulse was to run, she did not want her father or her master to know that she had heard all that. However, the guards would probably inform them she had been there anyway, so she stayed. She stepped to the side until the three of them had emerged and the door had shut again.

"So, when do we leave?" She asked from behind them. All three men whirled around.

"Chae! What are you doing out of the medical ward?" Obi-Wan asked, staring at her with concern.

"_We_ are not going anywhere", Qui-Gon said in a stern tone. "I must stop underestimating your sense of hearing. Nevertheless, you should be in the medical ward."

"Father I'm fine. Master", she said, "can't I accompany you to Tatooine?"

Plo Koon frowned under his breathing mask. "Chae, your father and I both decided that it is better for you to remain on Coruscant. Even though you have greatly improved in your knowledge of the Force, you are still very inexperienced. Plus you are not well and very bereaved. We feel that your feelings might cloud your judgement on this matter".

"No, they won't", Chae said. "Please! You must let me come with you. I must do this...for my sake and for Omar's, before I go completely crazy!".

"Take it up with the council", Plo Koon said. Chae almost winced at the coldness of her master's voice. "They wouldn't give you permission even if you asked for it. They know how much Omar was to you". He finished a bit softer.

Qui-Gon walked forward and embraced Chae. "Don't worry, we'll be back before you know we're gone. What's important for you is to mourn properly for Omar and then to continue with your training. Now no more talk of this."

"But father! Can't I just--"

"No Chae. No, you cannot come. I forbid it". He looked at her with his 'Look Of Forbiddance' that Chae absolutely despised. Qui-Gon went and stood between Obi-Wan and Plo Koon, still giving her the look.

"But father--"

"Falling on deaf ears," Qui-Gon said stiffly.

Chae looked at Obi-Wan for help but Obi-Wan looked at her as if to say 'you expect me to go against your father? You've gotta be kidding!'

"You're not going and that's final!" Qui-Gon said.

_That's what he thinks,_ Chae thought.

----------

Chae stepped into the barroom hesitantly. She looked around and tried not to be revolted by the things she saw. Humans and aliens alike mingled in the overwhelming odours of a bar that hadn't been cleaned since it opened. She wrinkled her nose a bit and then stepped down the stairs. She sat at an empty table in the corner and folded her arms. Chae felt underdressed without her black Jedi cloak, but she knew it was impossible to keep a low profile if she had worn it. She wished her father had let her go with them to Tatooine; she wanted to find out for herself what had happened to Omar. Her eyes began to sting with the thought of Omar and she had to take a few deep breaths in order to calm herself. _Focus on the task in hand_, she reprimanded herself. Ever since she had learned of Omar's death, she felt her Jedi senses were suffering. She found that some of the skills she had taken for granted became harder for her.

Chae looked around the bar, trying to use her Force-enhanced hearing to determine which one of the patrons were questionable in their ethics and which ones really were bad news. She knew there was no way that she would be able to get to Tatooine by using the public travel systems. Tatooine was too far out of the way. Next Chae had thought about flying there herself, but then determined that she was in no condition to make the long space journey on her own. Her final choice was to come to one of Coruscant's more questionable and seedy locations in order to find a pilot eager to make some easy money and wouldn't ask too many questions. This is what had led her to _'The Glistening Gem'_ on one of the lower levels of the city planet. A droid came over to her table and asked for her order. She gave it and watched the bar closely.

A wookie growled and barked with a humanoid that had one eye. From what Chae could gather, they were speaking about smuggling illegal spices to Alderaan. She decided that they would be of no help. She saw a Ranat drinking at the bar, his short legs swinging swiftly. Then the little creature fell off the stool. A young woman who had just walked in scooped the Ranat up and set him back on his perch. Chae looked at the young woman, squinting her eyes at her. The woman was about to turn around and look straight at Chae when Chae's order arrived. She took the drink, and then she looked up quickly, but the woman had gone. Chae took a slow sip of her drink, wondering why the woman was so intriguing to her. The she sighed and continued her search.

Meanwhile, at the other dark corner of the bar, the young woman watched Chae closely. "Well how're you, Corrie?" A young man said in a voice that gave the impression that he'd had a few too many.

"Knock it off, you know my name is Cordellia", she said shrugging his arm off.

"Excuse me, Cordellia", he said sarcastically.

"Who's the kid in the corner?" Cordellia asked.

Her companion tried squinting towards the corner. "I dunno, she's never been here before".

"Well, keep an eye on her, okay?" Cordellia ordered.

"Can do," the man said with a mock salute. Cordellia smiled sardonically and rose to walk to the bar. _And to think the_ he _was once the top pilot on Corellia,_ she thought to herself. _Solo, you're gonna get into trouble if you stay drunk all the time._ She glanced back at Solo. The man was combing through his blonde hair furiously, as if it had become the most important thing to do within two minutes. Cordellia grimaced, knowing that her long brown hair that she had hurriedly tied back was now in shambles. She turned to where the girl was sitting. She was still staring about her distractedly. _I know people who have killed people who did little more than stare at them._

Cordelliareceived her drink and downed it in no time. She decided to play a game of "spikes". To play, a person throws a pointed object towards a target to test accuracy. This was as close as Cordellia could get to her favourite pastime of blaster target shooting. She carefully threw the objects towards the target and found they came remarkably close to the centre. She kept glancing over at the girl. Then, one time when Cordellia looked, the girl was gone. She just shrugged and continued her game.

"Excuse me," a voice came from her. Cordellia turned around quickly and found herself staring into the eyes of the mystery girl. Whoever this young girl was, she was incredibly beautiful, with a toned slim figure beautifully shown off in her black figure hugging cat suit. Cordellia glanced at the weapon attached to Chae's thigh. It looked like a lightsaber, the weapon of the Jedi, but Cordellia chose not to say anything.

"I will excuse you for interrupting me, since I can tell you don't come here often," Cordellia said, turning around. "I don't stop throwing until all of the spikes are gone." She squinted her eyes and the last dozen or so spikes. She sighed and turned around to face the girl who had been breathing down her back for the whole time. "Yes?" She asked.

"Um, I was wondering, would you be interested in a charter job?" Chae inquired.

"If you mean slaves, the answer is no," Cordellia said firmly. She collected the spikes from the board.

"No, no. Of course not. I mean taking me as a passenger," Chae hurriedly replied.

"To where?" Cordellia asked suspiciously.

"Tatooine,"Chae whispered.

"Tatooine?" Cordellia gasped, then she laughed. "Why would you want to go to that dust bowl?"

"I have business there," Chae stated evenly.

"Far be it for me to judge, but I feel that you should get out of that business if it's with a Hutt," Cordellia advised.

"I have no affliction with the Hutts," Chae assured. "I'll pay you five hundred Republic credits."

Cordellia nearly burst out laughing. "You want to go to Tatooine for that?"

"It's all I have," Chae said. "It's very important that I get there." Chae was almost in tears.

Cordellia bit her lower lip. "Tell you what, I'll talk to people for you," Cordellia offered. "Hey Solo!" She called. He ran over to her quickly.

"Any problems?" He asked.

"How are you for a shuttle job to Tatooine?" She queried.

"Not so good, right now," he said with a smile. "I'm not drunk enough yet to think I'm not drunk."He then looked confused and mouthed the phrase he had just said. He nodded and smiled with satisfaction that he had said what he meant.

Cordellia shrugged. She looked around the rest of the bar. There were no beings that she would trust this naïve girl to. She felt like there was a hammering in head. That, of course, was her conscience returning after a long hiatus. The door to the bar opened and Cordellia saw a Twi'lek and a Rodian entered.But they weren't just any Twi'lek and Rodian. They were the bounty hunters who had been on her tail for quite a while now. Solo saw them too, and knew of Cordellia's plight. The only way out was the way the bounty hunters had come in. Suddenly going to Tatooine didn't sound so bad after all.

"Okay, kid," Cordellia said to Chae. "I'll take you up on that job. Just be sure to stay close to me if things get rough. If we get separated, meet me at landing platform thirteen." Chae nodded eagerly, Solo was suddenly sober.

"Cordellia, please let me go with you this time. You'll need an extra set of eyes if you're going to the home of the Hutt gangsters," Solo pleaded.

Cordellia sighed, but finally nodded reluctantly. "Stay sharp, Solo, please," she ordered. "Now everyone, please be discreet." With that, the three slowly made their way to the door.

"There she is!" The Rodian said in his native tongue. Cordellia drew her blaster that was hanginglow on her hip and Solo did the same. The Rodian and the Twi'lek starting firing and Cordellia and Solo returned the fire as they ran to the door. Several of the patrons tackled Cordellia's adversaries. This delay gave the three of them time to run down the alley.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Chae thought to herself.

_----------_

Obi-Wan was in the ship's cargo hold, demonstrating to his master Qui-Gon that he could levitate all the objects in the hold and maintain his balance as he stood on his hands. Suddenly, the objects dropped and he fell onto his back.

"What has happened?" Qui-Gon asked, getting slightly irritated.

"I..." Obi-Wan began as he sat up. He hesitated to tell his master something was happening to his daughter. The padawan found himself thinking about Chae more than he was sure that Qui-Gon would approve of. Since he was mindful of the Force, Obi-Wan could prevent his master from reading his thoughts. The elder man stared at his student seriously.

"You must be mindful of the here and now, Obi-Wan," he said. "The future will not stand still for us to get there. If you are seeing the future, it is not set in stone. Do you understand?"

Obi-Wan nodded, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I will focus on the present more."

Qui-Gon smiled. "Then that is enough for today." He offered a hand to help the young man up. Suddenly, they heard Plo Koon call for them from the cockpit. The two Jedi were in with the master in moments.

"Qui-Gon," the master began. "Perhaps we should not have left your daughter alone."

"Have you felt something?" Qui-Gon asked in disbelief. Wouldn't he be able to tell if something was happening to his daughter?

"No, no," he assured. "But I think that perhaps we should send Obi-Wan back to Coruscant to look after her."

It took all of Obi-Wan's willpower to restrain himself from bursting out. He did not want to be stuck on Coruscant, missing the adventure, even if he was to be with Chae. Qui-Gon sensed his outrage and decided perhaps that the padawan still had to learn more control. Qui-Gon thought maybe perhaps Obi-Wan wasn't ready to go on a mission. "I agree," he said finally. Obi-Wan looked at his master in disbelief.

Plo Koon nodded seriously. "We shall let him off at the earliest convenience with money so he can get back to Coruscant."

Obi-Wan was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe they were leaving him behind again. It seemed so unreal. He thought he was progressing in his studies, but that wasn't good enough for those two masters. The two looked at Obi-Wan expectantly. The young man clenched his teeth and nodded. "As you will, masters."

A short time later Obi-Wan was let off on the jungle world of Yavin 4. Luckily, for the masters at least, there was a Republic survey team there who would let Obi-Wan use one of their craft. Obi-Wan was less than thrilled, of course, but he listened patiently as the masters explained to him that he was to look after Chae and stay out of trouble. He nodded to each instruction, not particularly listening.

So, after the masters had left, Obi-Wan immediately departed for Coruscant. The trip was uneventful and Obi-Wan found himself sighing with boredom. He arrived at the capital planet and immediately set out for Chae's apartment.

From inside the apartment, he heard someone scurrying about and soon the door opened. He recognised Chae's roommate, Asia. She let him enter. "Hello, Obi-Wan," she said softly.

"Greetings," he replied. "May I speak with Chae?"

"Chae?" Asia asked. "She's still in the hospital wing, isn't she?"

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed in concern. "No, she left and we saw her at the Temple. She didn't come back here?"

"No," Asia said. "You don't think she went to Tatooine, do you?"

"It's almost definite," he concurred after a short period of thought. "Thank you, I'll be going there now."

"May I come?" Asia asked. "I'm terribly worried about her."

Obi-Wan thought again. "Yes, I'm sure you would be helpful in finding her."

"Then lets go," she said, picking up her Jedi robe. With that, the two left the apartment for Tatooine.

----------

"Qui-Gon, there's something wrong with the ship," Plo Koon said evenly.

Alarms sounded in the cockpit as if to confirm what the master has said. "You think?" Qui-Gon shouted over the noise.

"I'll have to land...the nearest planet is Alderaan," Plo Koon stated.

"Good," Qui-Gon replied, sitting down. The alarms continued to sound. Lights flashed. Plo Koon brought them down with an ungraceful landing after Qui-Gon informed traffic control on Alderaan. They were met on the landing platform by a group of technicians.

Qui-Gon and Plo Koon stepped out of the ship. Qui-Gon glanced obliquely at one technician in particular. No, it couldn't be. "Omar!" Qui-Gon gasped.

"Hello, master Jinn, having trouble with your ship?" The young man said with a grin. "What's wrong? It's looks like you've seen a ghost or something!"

----------

Chae slipped out of the _'Glistening Gem'_ without being noticed. She'd be leaving shortly and was _not_ prepared. She had to go home and get a few things, meaning she'd have to confide in her friend, Asia. Could she do that? She rushed home to find Asia wasn't there. All the better, now she didn't have to worry about Asia squealing on her. Chae went to her room and packed a few things into the pouches on her utility belt. Chae was almost out of the door when she noticed there was a holo message recorded. Chae pressed the 'play' button. Asia appeared in front of her.

"Chae...if you're getting this message, thank the Force that you're not out, trying to follow your father and master Plo Koon. Obi-Wan and I went to Tatooine in search of you. If you're at home, _please_ contact me. Thank you." Asia reached for the 'stop' button and hesitated. "Don't do anything that could get you hurt or into trouble with the Jedi Council." Asia finally stopped the recording and Chae was left with nothing but the static of the holo.

Chae shut off the holo and walked out of the door. The door shut soundly behind her. 'Meet me at landing platform thirteen' echoed through Chae's head. Was she doing the right thing? Perhaps her father and master Plo Koon were right--they usually were. But Omar. Omar was murdered, and she had to know by whom exactly and why. Chae clamped down on her teeth to keep herself from getting overwhelmed again. She held her head high and found landing platform thirteen. She would find who killed her love, no matter what it took.

When Chae reached thirteen Cordellia, and the man she called 'Solo', were there to greet her. "What took you so long?" Cordellia questioned.

"Sorry. I had to go home and pick up a few things before I left," Chae said.

"Yeah, well, get in. We're sort of in a rush to get out of here." Solo walked towards the ship with Cordellia following close behind.

Chae rushed to catch up with them. She walked up the gangplank quickly and found a seat for take off. She buckled her safety restraints and sat back. A smooth take off reassured Chae that she was doing the right thing. It was then, when she wasn't busy or rushing, that she thought of Omar. Chae unbuckled the restrains and held her head in her hands. Tears flowed from her eyes like water from a waterfall. Her first love, her only love, was gone. Chae and Omar had been courting for five years before he proposed. Now he was gone, cruelly snatched from her life without having a chance to say goodbye.

Chae gasped, she felt a disturbance in the Force. She was worried. Chae's tear stained and paranoid face looked all around. She stretched out with the Force and sensed only Solo and Cordellia in the cockpit. There would be danger awaiting her on Tatooine, that she was sure of. She had to be prepared. She engaged her lightsaber and waved it around. Next she found a remote sitting on a nearby table, switched it on and closed her eyes. Obviously Cordellia used them for target practise of some sort. She let the Force guide her and block all of the shots. She thought of Omar and became enraged. She drew on the Force and swung at the remote. She missed it, so she swung again, madder and more frustrated than before. She sliced the remote in half and took a deep breath. She disengaged her lightsaber and sat down. Beads of sweat came down her face. It felt good to vent the anger and frustration she felt. As long as it didn't get out of hand. The only thing was she now owed Cordellia a new remote.

----------

Plo Koon, Qui-Gon and Omar stood in front of the holo. No one was responding to the signal, so they decided to just record a message instead. Omar explained that he was alive and well, and that he would later explain to her what happened, about his mission, why he had ended up on Alderaan and why he had been longer than expected. He pointed out to Chae that there was obviously a plot against him and his family, and that he and the two Jedi masters would try to find out who and why, why somebody had told her he was dead.

----------

Obi-Wan and Asia's flight was uneventful and they didn't speak much until they began to approach Tatooine.

"Have you ever been to Tatooine?" Asia asked, entering the cockpit.

"No," Obi-Wan said. "Looks pretty desolate."

They watched Tatooine grow larger through the view screen. Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, feeling what kind of beings were on the planet.

"Where are we landing?" Asia asked, breaking Obi-Wan's concentration.

"Master Plo Koon and master Qui-Gon were--Damn!"

"What?" Asia asked.

"I seem to be having such lousy luck," Obi-Wan looked sheepishly.

"What!" Asia asked again.

"Low fuel, we'll have to land at that small moisture farm." He pointed at a small cluster of buildings. Obi-Wan brought the ship down softly onto the sand and took a deep breath before stepping out into the intense heat.

----------

Solo's head hurt. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been sober and it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, in his opinion, which didn't matter much anyway.

"Hey Solo!" Cordellia slapped him on the back as she sat down next to him. Solo glared at her. She _would_ rub it in the fact he had a bloody awful hangover.

"Don't look at me like that!" Cordellia laughed.

Solo grimaced and strode out of the cockpit. He stopped to watch Chae, sitting with her eyes closed.

"Can I help you?" Chae asked without opening her eyes.

"I don't need help from anyone," Solo said, leaning against the wall.

Chae opened her eyes quizzically. "Oh?" She didn't sound impressed. She closed her eyes again. Solo found himself wishing she would take off her clock, so he could see what she looked like without it. He had been drunk when she hadn't worn it in the _'Glistening Gem'_ and couldn't remember how she had looked. He smirked at the idea and realised Chae was looking at him again. He shifted under her gaze, trying to look nonchalant.

"How are you feeling?" Chae asked abruptly.

Solo grimaced again. "Great!" He said sarcastically.

Chae nodded and closed her eyes again. Frustrated, Solo went back into the cockpit.

"I don't understand that girl," Solo said, sitting down by Cordellia.

"I didn't know you were into understanding. I thought you charmed and then left," she looked at him significantly, "but never tried to understand."

"Thanks a bunch," Solo rolled his eyes.

"You're welcome. Here, we're going to land at docking bay ninety six and stop in at the cantina."

"We're bringing _her_ to the cantina!" Solo sat up.

"We're dropping _her_ in that town."

"That _her_ will do just fine, thank you, without your help," Chae said from the doorway.

Cordellia jumped slightly and ground her teeth. They were silent for the rest of the flight to docking bay ninety six.

----------

"Good ol' Tatooine," Omar said, as they touched down in the middle of the desert, near a sandcrawler. Qui-Gon nodded absentmindedly, watching the sandcrawler.

"Don't worry," Plo Koon said, following Qui-Gon's gaze. "They're a harmless race, though greedy and liars."

Qui-Gon smiled. "I wasn't worried about that. I was wondering how they will accept our questions."

Plo Koon sighed, "I'm afraid they won't like it. They are not only greedy and dishonest, they're also scared. So, more than likely, they will avoid our questions or lie."

"I guess there's only one way to find out," Omar said, opening the hatch.

----------

Obi-Wan sucked in a breath of hot, dry air and narrowed his eyes from the glare of Tatooine's twin suns. He saw a boy peaking out at him from behind a droid. A man appeared and gruffly told the boy to get back to work.

The man approached there warily. "How may I help you?" He asked, stopping a few yards away and taking in Obi-Wan's Jedi robes and lightsaber.

"We're out of fuel, sir," Obi-Wan said.

"We don't want Jedi here," the man said, turning to glare at the little boy who was staring at Obi-Wan, wide eyed.

Asia spoke up from behind Obi-Wan, "we're terribly sorry. We'll be on our way as soon as we have some fuel. Here," she took off the gold bracelet from her wrist, "in payment for the fuel."

The man took it and shook his hand. "I can't take this," he said, handing it back. "You could buy a lot of fuel with that, much more than I can give you. Come in. OWEN!"

The boy's head popped around the droid. "Yes, uncle?"

"Get some fuel."

"Yes uncle."

As the boy disappeared, Obi-Wan felt with a sudden certainty that he would see Owen again sometime in the future.

----------

Chae paid Cordellia and started off, walking quickly out of the docking bay.

"Hey!" A voice said from behind her.

She turned to see Solo sauntering up, blaster riding easily at his hip and a roguish grin on his face. "This town isn't safe for beautiful women like you," he said, winking. Chae just looked at him.

Solo shrugged uncomfortably. "Thought you could use a guide."

"Thank you, but I don't think you should accompany me. It would put you in considerable danger."

"Just thought I'd ask," he grinned again and swaggered into an alleyway.

Chae continued on her way and Solo watched her from the alleyway. Something moved from behind him and he spun around, blaster in hand. Jango Fett! Solo racked his brain, trying to remember if he was wanted by anyone.

"I'm not after you this time, Solo," Fett rasped and slipped quietly into another alley.

Solo shivered and stepped into a doorway to radio Cordellia.

"Fett's here."

"Damn! Well, that's it, I'm outta here. Ready, Lance?"

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry, Solo," Cordellia said impatiently.

"You go ahead, I'm gonna stay here."

"You what! Are you crazy?"

"No, I just like the way this alley smells."

"What--oh never mind, I don't wanna know. Okay Solo, I'll see you later--I hope." There was a click and Cordellia was gone.

Solo glanced around and walked out of the empty alleyway. Chae was nowhere to be seen. He swore under his breath and started off in the direction she had taken.

----------

Qui-Gon took a deep, calming breath, his Jedi patience sorely tested with the Jawas. Plo Koon steepled his figures, thinking.

"Utink, you've been very helpful," Plo Koon said and Omar rolled his eyes. "But I have one more question for you. Have you ever heard of Omar Organa?"

Omar frowned at Plo Koon as the Jawas tittered amongst themselves. Utink replied quickly & disappeared into the sand crawler with the other Jawas.

Qui-Gon laughed. "What a disagreeable race!" Plo Koon frowned under his breathing mask but agreed.

"What did he say?" Omar asked, not knowing the Jawa tongue.

"He said 'woe be it the Organa who meets the Hunter'," Plo Koon translated gravely.

"Encouraging," Omar muttered.

----------

"I thought I made it clear that your services were no longer needed," Chae said somewhat irritably as she felt his presence a few paces behind him.

"Geez! Don't do that!" Solo yelped. "Scared the mynocks out of me," he said placing his hand on his heart. "And for your information, I'm not helping you. I just happen to be staking out the same cantina as you are." Chae cocked an eyebrow, but let the comment slide. They waited a few minutes, observing those who went in and out of the cantina.

"What is this? 'No bill if you're a Rodian' hour or something?" Solo remarked. _He's sharp when he's not drunk,_ Chae thought with a small smile.

"They must be or know of the Tatooine Hunters," Chae murmured and tried to leave the alley way from which they had been hiding. Solo grabbed her arm and held her back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Tatooine Hunters? You can't go waltzing in there asking for information on a gang. They'd kill you before you got to the question mark. I know you're a Jedi and all, but even Jedi can have trouble staying alive when they're in places like these."

"What do you suggest?" Chae asked impatiently.

"Well, if I were in your shoes, I'd go ask that fellow right there," Solo pointed to a robed figure who seemed to be paying no attention to anything.

"He looks like he's sleeping on his feet."

"Oh I know, he doesn't look suspicious or worthy of anything, but he's a Bothan spy. Give him enough credits and he'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Credits..." Chae muttered, putting her hand on her empty credit pouch.

"Here," Solo handed her two hundred credits. "Cordellia said it was her pleasure to bring you here on a discount."

"You're a terrible liar," Chae said, taking the credits.

"Not a bad pick pocket though," he said with a wink.

"Thank you. I'll repay Cordellia back as soon as this gets cleared up," Chae promised.

"The Tatooine Hunters numbers are unknown," the spy said once the credits were tucked safely within his robes. "They travel in packs of four at least. This cantina is one of their regular meeting places. The leader, Mweeno, mostly deals in local Tatooine bounties. He has been known to go killer-for-hire and demand protection money on occasions when credits are low."

"Do you know anything about the murder of Omar Organa?"

The Bothan grunted a affirmative. "He was training here. Mweeno sent most of his thugs after him, but no one knows why. Not even his own men."

"Was there a battle? Where did it take place?"

"My sources say the Tatooine Hunters met up with Organa in the Jundland wastelands. If you want me to tell you more, you must pay more first."

"I see," Chae said in a dismissing tone, wishing she had studied Force thought suggestions better. She walked away, Solo not far behind.

"You're really going into the badlands?" Solo asked hesitantly.

"I'd travel to the ends of the universe to get my answers," she said simply.

The crowds got thicker as they travelled more towards the centre of the city. Solo bumped into a Shistavenen wolf man. The wolf man wasn't too happy and was ready to strike Solo. Chae turned around when she heard him yell. But on seeing Solo's face, the wolf man instead lifted Solo off of his feet in a great bear hug. After many yips, barks and growls, the wolf man set Solo down on his feet and rubbed the top of his head until his hair stood on end. Solo laughed and began to speak to him in Shistavenish. Chae could hardly keep herself from laughing watching Solo snarl and growl to an overgrown guard dog who yipped and barked in return. Solo then pointed at Chae and rapidly said something else to the wolf man. After the explanation, the wolf man winked and used his elbow to nudge Solo in the ribs. Chae understood this and began to walk away.

"Chae! Chae! Wait a second, he can help you!" Chae stopped and let Solo and the wolf man catch up with her.

"This is Lobos. I used to be first mate on his freighter. He says he has some speeder bikes we can borrow. You have to admit that's a lot better than walking."

Chae looked up at Lobos and probed slightly to see if his intentions had strings attached. His motives seemed genuine, and he was an old friend of Solo's. Even if that fact didn't hold much water, it was something.

Chae straddled the speeder bike and revved the engine. It had a nice hum. Solo's, on the other hand, spluttered with an occasional spuh-lunk. He accused Chae of sensing which one was the better bike, but Chae ignored him as Lobos chuckled in the background. Out of the hanger, and into the vast seas of sand, Chae skimmed over the surface of the inferno desert. Solo followed behind with an occasional puff of smoke escaping from his speeder's vents. The wastelands seemed endless, but Chae pressed on scanning the bleakness for any sign of life. Her attention was broken by the foreboding shadow that was cast over her. Glancing into the sky, she recognised a Republic ship. The vessel landed not far away, and as Chae accelerated to meet up with it, Solo's speeder quit on him, skidding to a stop in the hot sand. As Chae pulled up to ship, Obi-Wan and Asia stepped down the entrance ramp.

"Chae!" Asia called out happily, running to greet her dear friend with a hug. "I'm so glad we found you! I couldn't bear to think what you could have gotten yourself into on this horrid planet! Come on, lets go back to Coruscant."

Chae removed herself from Asia's hold, smiling weakly. "I appreciate your concern for me, Asia,you know I do... But I can't go back to Coruscant. I won't leave until I find out why Omar was murdered and bring the killers to justice."

"Your father gave me strict orders to watch over you while he was gone," Obi-Wan interjected. Chae stepped over to Obi-Wan, stood with hands on hips and looked up into his asserted firm expression.

"Did my father specify _where_ to watch over me?"

"No... Not specifically. His assumption that you were an obedient daughter ledhim to believe that you were on Coruscant. My instruction was to return there and look after you." Chae ignored the reference to her disobedience and stuck to her technicalities.

"Well, since my father did not specifically say to watch over me on Coruscant, you can perform your duties here on Tatooine." Chae's tone held such finality, Obi-Wan could not help but smile and yield to Chae's wishes. Knowing she had won, Chae walked up the ramp and disappeared into the ship, Asia a step behind her.

"She's so much like her father," Obi-Wan breathed.

"A-hem,"Solo cleared his throat. "I believe someone is being overlooked." Obi-Wan looked over to see a scruffy blonde man walking a speeder bike down a sand dune.

"My apologies. Have you accompanied Chae Jinn during her journey?"

"Ever since Coruscant," Solo said, tossing the speeder bike aside.

"You have done well to preserve her. She is amoung friends now. Please accept this with our gratitude," Obi-Wan said, giving Solo some credits.

"Actually..." Solo said looking over the credits, "She promised me double this, plus two hundred for the speeder bike rental," he added hastily.

"This is enough," Obi-Wan said with a small wave of his hand.

"This is enough," Solo repeated.

"Thank you for your generosity," he said with another small wave.

"Thank you for your generosity," Solo repeated.

"You'll be on your way."

"No, I don't think so," Solo smiled. Obi-Wan's jaw dropped with surprise.

"You're good," Solo commended, "if I had been a bit drunk, you probably would have had me. But I guess my mind's not that weak when I've been sobered for more that forty eight hours."

"I see..." Obi-Wan said, curious on how he could have failed.

"Heh. Well. Now that you failed to get rid of me with mind tricks, what's plan B?" Solo said with a cock of his head.

Asia's head popped into the frame of the hatchway. "Obi-Wan? Are you coming? Oh..."Solo looked up and winked at Asia, who blushed slightly under her emerald complexion.

"As I said, Chae is amoung friends now. We thank you for all the assistance you gave her, but we really must part ways,"Obi-Wan repeated.

"All right, all right. I rather go of my own will than a mind trick," he said with a shrug. He tied the broken down speeder to Chae's and straddled the leading bike. He revved the engine, saluted Asia and was off in a cloud of sand towards civilisation. Asia closed the hatch as Obi-Wan stepped inside. He made his way to the cockpit, taking his place in the pilot's chair. Chae sat to his right in the first mate's place, with Asia resting in the passenger's quarters below deck.

"There's a lot of interference on the planet's surface. The life scanner's range has been severely decreased. Fly low, and slowly," Chae instructed.

"Chae," Obi-Wan began tentatively. "You told Asia that you were going to bring Omar's killers to justice. I trust your sense of such has not been warped by the current events."

"You think I would hunt down the Hunters for vengeance?" Chae replied, holding back her ire.

"I believe even a Jedi's judgement can be clouded by personal lose."

"You speak as if from personal experience," Chae counted inquisitively.

Obi-Wan did not answer, trying to ignore the sharp green eyes burning into him.

----------

"You know where the Tatooine Hunters' dwelling is?" Plo Koon said amazed. He, Qui-Gon and Omar, back in his Jedi robes, stood in the back room of the weapons dealer.

"They skipped out on the payment of blaster rifles they ordered," an old hammerhead croaked. "You keep tabs on those who owe you."

"Why would the Hunters tell you where their secret base was?" Qui-Gon inquired.

"They didn't. I nabbed one on the last raid of my storeroom and made him talk!" The hammerhead laughed nastily at the memory. "The question is, what are you gonna offer me to tell you where it is?"

"The extension of your life."

The hammerhead was slightly stunned for a moment. Before he could realise the meaning of the words, Omar had his lightsaber blade within centimetres of the hammerhead's throat.

"Y-you wouldn't! You're a Jedi! You defend, not slaughter!"

"You are the kind that we defend against," Omar said smoothly. "With your dealings in weapons, hundreds die every day in the crossfire. Kill you and they are saved."

"B-but you n-need the information on the H-Hunters! You can't kill me!" The hammerhead gasped desperately.

"If you have information, then there will be others with information," Omar said quietly, easing his copper blade towards the trembling throat.

"Mos Heppa! They're in Mos Heppa! Gavin sector, outskirts of the city! On the border of the Jundland Wastelands!" The hammerhead blathered. The lightsaber blade retracted.

"Thank you for your co-operation," Omar said, clipping his lightsbaer on his belt. "You have been most helpful." He exited the storeroom, Qui-Gon and Plo Koon exchanged disapproving glances and followed Omar Organa out of the building andon to Mos Heppa.

It took only a few moments to span the distance to Mos Heppa. They docked and, on Omar's suggestion, split up but stayed within communicator distance. Plo Koon began exploring the more western side Gavin sector of the city. He spotted a Rodian and quickly hid, watching the Rodian from afar. Entering an abandoned looking building, several minutes passed without activity. Plo Koon moved in closer and spied through a dusty window. The building appeared empty. Plo Koon stepped inside with his senses heightened by the Force. The one roomed building was empty save a few crates in the far corner, a rug on the floor and a broken chair. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dust. Footprints were clearly visible in the grime, but they disappeared beyond the floor mat. He lifted up the dingy material. Underneath was the clear outline of a hidden door. He pried it open. Stairs lead downward into what appeared to be a tunnel.

"Qui-Gon. Omar. I have found something suspicious." Plo Koon sent a set of co-ordinates on his com and the two Jedi met up with him quickly.

"It could be a hidden entrance to their hideout," Omar observed. "I'll scout ahead and see." He walked down the steps and ignited lightsaber to see by in the black tunnel way.

"It is unwise to go alone, young Omar," Plo Koon advised.

"I will be careful, masters. I'll alert you, should I need your support,"Omar assured the men and disappeared into the darkness before word could be said.

"This is not right. There is an ominous feeling here," Qui-Gon murmured.

"It is not a specific disturbance in the Force, it's very vague, almost clandestine," Plo Koon agreed.

"Come, I believe Omar is in danger." Plo Koon nodded, following Qui-Gon into the darkness of the tunnel. Their lightsabers ignited, they made their way through the tunnel. The smell of decaying rodents and wet dirt filled Qui-Gon's nose.

"It's times like these I wish this breathing apparatus of mine would filter out smells," Plo Koon mumbled. Qui-Gon smiled to himself and pressed on into the unknown.

Several metres later, sounds could be heard coming from the tunnels end. Cautiously, Qui-Gon looked around the corner and into the cavern. It was huge. Generators hummed in the background keeping the environment comfortably liveable with enough oxygen and pleasurable temperature. Strong lights illuminated the facility well, probably solar powered. There were several other tunnel ways that branched off of this main room. Rodians came and went frequently from them. Hundreds of their species were gathered. Some ate and drank, others gambled and sparred with one another. Targets were shot at with incredible accuracy as the hot headed Rodians tried to best one another with their marksmanship. Qui-Gon and Plo Koon crept a little closer, hiding themselves among the crates of illegal weaponry.

A Rodian of slightly bluish skin tone walked along the lines of the Rodians sharpening their target accuracy. He shouted commands and threats to those who performed poorly. As he came closer to Qui-Gon and Plo Koon's hiding place, his speech could heard more clearly.

"You must kill from the first shot fired. If your target is wounded, he may still flee or fight. Death must ride on the first discharge." The Rodians all murmured their agreement. More rounds were fired at the targets. Another section of Rodians firing at moving targets hit every one perfectly with each shot.

"Hey Mweeno, when we gonna get to do a job?" One whined. "I'm gonna get soft with stupid plastic targets."

"Asking for a challenge, Ellek? How about taking out a pair of Jedi?" Mweeno spun around firing several shots above the crates that Plo Koon and Qui-Gon were hiding behind.

Qui-Gon made a dash for the tunnel, but the blast shield doors were already closing. Several dozen Rodians began to come around the left, surrounding then from all sides. Some began firing at the Jedi. Back to back with Plo Koon, the Jedi masters managed to reflect the fired shots back at their attackers. Many were wounded and taken out of the fray, but the sheer numbers were too much for them.

Mweeno stood atop the weapon crates and spoke down to the Jedi. "Surrender! Surrender yourselves and we will spare your lives... For the moment," he added sardonically.

Qui-Gon's voice sounded in Plo Koon's mind. _Battling against them is suicide. As much as I hate to, we must surrender._

_I agree with you, my friend. _Plo Koon replied. The lightsaber blades withdrew and were swiftly taken away from their owners. Some Rodians stepped forward to restrain the Jedi as two more hit them over the head with the butt of their guns. Plo Koon and Qui-Gon went unconscious.

----------

"Obi-Wan! Land! Quickly!" Chae yelled. Obi-Wan did as she commanded. Chae sprinted down the corridor and jumped off the entrance ramp before it had fully extended. She ran to a fallen figure in the desert sands. Chae rolled over the body so that the face looked skyward. The man's eyes blinked awkwardly and tried to focus.

"... Beloved... I--"

"Omar! You're alive!"

"B-but Chae..."

"Shh. Omar don't speak. Save your strength. You look badly wounded and you're in pain."

"Your fa...Qui-Gon...Plo Koon..." He forced the words through gritted teeth.

"My father? Master Plo Koon? Where are they? Are they in trouble?"

"Th-there," Omar raised his chin to gesture over several metres where an exposed entrance to a tunnel of some sort was visible. "In there...T-Hunters." Chae scowled at the ominous hole in the sand dunes. Obi-Wan and Asia had reached Chae. Asia gasped at the sight of Omar while Obi-Wan remained silent.

"Asia, take Omar to the ship, please tend to his wounds."

"Where are you going?"

"Master Plo Koon and my father are in there. As well as the Tatooine Hunters. They may need my help. I must go to them."

"I'll come with you," Obi-Wan said stepping forward. Chae only nodded.

"Chae...don't.." Omar gasped. Chae kneeled by his side, and placed her hand along the side of his face. His dark eyes stared back at her.

"Do not worry Omar. I have found you beyond the clutches of death, I will not lose my own life now that I have found you." She bent over to kiss him gently. "Stay alive Omar. Just stay alive," she whispered. Chae stood up and took her lightsaber in hand. She ignited the blade and entered the tunnel.

Obi-Wan looked back at Asia carrying Omar, with the aid of the Force, back to the ship. Why did something feel so wrong? He ducked his head as he entered the tunnel. The purple glow of Chae's lightsaber was visible to Obi-Wan and he took a few quick strides to catch up with her.

"Chae, wait a moment!" He called. Chae turned around, impatience written on her face in the soft glow of the lightsaber blade. "Do you feel them? Hundreds of life forms up ahead. We can't face those kinds of numbers."

"My father and master are in there, Obi-Wan, I can't just leave them there to wait for back up."

"You can't charge in there lightsaber flailing either. You need a plan."

"All right, what do you suggest?"

----------

Plo Koon's sense of reality came back to him slowly. The blobs of colour sorted themselves back into the faces of Rodians between the bars that blocked his view. He tried to use the Force to bend the bars...nothing happened! Qui-Gon touched Plo Koon's shoulder.

"These energy cages were specifically designed to restrain Jedi. Our Force powers are repressed in this sphere." Plo Koon nodded looking over the cage. It was roughly three metres in diametre, the bars were strong, probably reinforced with durasteel. A stun field projector protruded from the centre of the dome, a reminder not to cause a disturbance.

"I see," Plo Koon said absent-mindedly while examining the structure, "I have heard of such containment devices. But they are so rare... How could these Hunters come across such technology? And why have we been contained at all? Why were we not slain?"

"Those are questions I can not answer," Qui-Gon mused.

Suddenly a loud alarm sounded. Bleating continually, the Rodians fell into a uniform mob of bodies, filing out of the main room into two of the tunnel ways.

"Another Jedi! Another Jedi has been identified at the south east entrance! Arm yourselves! Don't let him escape!" Mweeno barked at the lines of Rodians running to do his bidding. "Three squadrons are to stay here and guard the prisoners, everyone else find the Jedi!" Soon the Rodians had left, save the sixty or so ordered to guard Plo Koon and Qui-Gon. Five minutes passed, the ten, then fifteen.

"Contact Javeer, give me a status report!" Mweeno commanded a Rodian to his left. The Hunter took out his comlink and tried to make contact.

"My comm won't work." Several other Rodians pulled out their comm units, none of which would function.

"A jamming signal," Mweeno hissed, "this is a trap...scout out, find the squads! Cancel the pursuit! It's a set up!" Another score of Rodians left through the maze of tunnel ways.

----------

_I must admit, his plan worked, _Chae thought, silently knocking out two of the Rodians that separated from the mass in the centre. Obi-Wan joined her, taking out three other Rodians.

"There looks to be about fifty," Obi-Wan estimated. "I can take forty, can you handle the other ten?"

"I'm not a little girl anymore, you know," Chae retorted, "I can fight as many as you can."

"Of course," Obi-Wan smiled. "On three?" Chae nodded. "One, two, three!" The padawans sprung from their hiding places swiftly cutting down a dozen of their adversaries before Mweeno even realised his underground fortress had been invaded.

"Attack them!" He bellowed, jumping down to join the fight. Chae reflected the shots fired at her, slicing oncoming attackers in between. Obi-Wan, a metre from her back, did the same in a more flamboyant manner. His sapphire blade flew with flourish as Rodians reeled back clutching their wounds. A moment of rest resided over the battle, Chae used the opportunity to use the Force to fling several Rodians against the walls, knocking them unconscious. Another barrage of gunfire followed. Obi-Wan's jaw tensed, trying to keep his reflexes at maximum. Slowly, but surely, the Rodian forces dwindled. Back up fighters began to enter through the tunnels. Chae had to stop any more from coming in!

She caught sight of the main control panel. At the next opening she made an incredible leap over the masses of fighters. Her boots landed squarely on the floor, near the control panel. Quickly she began closing the blast shield doors to all the tunnel ways. A few Rodians slipped through the closing doors, and some began to run towards Chae. Raising her arms above her head, she brought the lightsaber down on the control panel, with an incredible down stroke. The panel spat sparks at her with live wires. Another great leap and Chae was again fighting for her life in the middle of the Hunters corps. Another period of intense combat followed, and finally the last able bodied Rodian fell to the bite of Chae's lightsaber. Breathing heavily, nearly ready to collapse, Chae and Obi-Wan put their lightsabers to rest at their sides. Obi-Wan wiped a small trickle of blood off of his face with the back of his hand and gripped his shoulder where a lucky shot had made a burning gash in his flesh. Chae also had stains of crimson, marking her few failed attempts at defence. Her hair had come loose and framed the marks of dirt on her face.

"Come on, we have to find my father and Master Plo Koon," Chae gasped, trying to catch her breath whilst examining the wound on Obi-Wan's shoulder. Suddenly, she felt as if her whole body went cold and before she could think about it she screamed, "Obi-Wan, look out!"

A copper blade lightsaber flew threw the air straight at Obi-Wan. At the sound of Chae's warning, Obi-Wan tried to dodge, but wasn't quick enough. The blade seared through his thigh before stopping in mid air and flying back in the direction from which it came. A figure in the shadows caught the handle and stepped along the overhead catwalk, into the light.

"OMAR?" Chae screamed. "What are you doing?" A pool of blood around Obi-Wan's leg as he used both his hands and the Force to apply pressure to the gash. "Omar! What happened to your wounds? Where's Asia? It's me, Chae, and Obi-Wan Kenobi!"

"My wounds were faked, Chae. A wonder what a little make up can do. Do not worry about Asia, she's...sleeping. And I am well aware of who you two are," Omar's voice echoed off the walls. It was his voice, but yet not. It was so empty of his usual warmth and compassion.

"Omar...what's wrong? What happened to you?"

"Only the most important thing in my life. I have harnessed the power of the Force..._all_ of it."

"You don't mean..." Her voice lowered to a shocked whisper.

"The Darkside, Chae. I have control of the Darkside."

"No Omar! You could never have control of the Darkside! It will control _you_!" She tried desperately to blink back the tears.

"It's a common misconception that the Darkside is evil, Chae. But listen to me, it isn't. Everything has a light and a dark side. Only when you upset the balance of the two and let the Darkside consume you, then it will control you."

"No Omar," the tears spilled over her face. "No. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in the void of your voice. The Darkside has tainted you, Omar. You aren't the Jedi Knight you were. You--" Chae squeezed her eyes shut and spat the words out, "you aren't the same man I fell in love with!" Her words did not effect the Dark Jedi, still standing still with an amused expression on his face.

"I understand, Chae. Now please understand me. I cannot let you leave this place. I must take you to my master."

"Your master? Your master joined the Force years ago..."

"My new master is much stronger than Master Jonan could ever hope to be," Omar said with a slight tone of disgust. Chae tried hard to ignore his disrespect towards Master Jonan, he had been a good man.

"Why fake your own death Omar?" Chae dropped her gaze. "Why make me think you were dead?"

"That was part of my Master's plan. If I had been murdered on Tatooine, a few Jedi knights would certainly come to investigate. The Tatooine Hunters were hired as the brawn to capture the few Jedi who came here. Namely Qui-Gon Jinn and Plo Koon. The masters are too set in their ways to be taken, so we kept them alive to lure you padawan here. Once you had also disappeared, more would come, and likewise to be captured and taken to my master to learn the ways of the Darkside. Please, Chae. Make it easy on yourself and surrender to my custody."

"If we are supposed to be captured, why did you try to kill Obi-Wan?" Chae said noticing Obi-Wan had gone quite pale despite his efforts to stop the bleeding. She desperately wanted to help him but she couldn't risk turning her back on Omar.

"Oh that. I've just always hated Obi-Wan," Omar said nonchalantly with a shrug. "He was always bettering me in front of the Jedi Council. He even had the audacity to ogle you after our engagement," he said with a certain venom in the tone of his voice; like a Rancor guarding a slab of meat. "The Force was supposed to guide my feelings of jealously and hatred away, but now I've harnessed those feelings' power into something a little more productive!" Omar jumped down from the catwalk, rasing his lightsaber in preparation for a death blow aimed at Obi-Wan.

The blade swung down to meet cold metal, carving a massive line in the floor. Chae's hand was still outstretched in the Force shove she gave to move Obi-Wan from danger. Obi-Wan continued to desperately clutch the wound to stop the loss of blood, but he grew even paler. Omar turned to look at Chae in an expression of utmost exasperation.

"Please, Chae, don't make me kill you too."

"You would do that, Omar? You would raise your blade against me to kill him?" Chae asked, her voice trembling. Omar remained silent. "If you would do it...you must, Omar. For I will not let you take his life while I have breath in my body." Chae stood in front of Obi-Wan and ignited her lightsaber.

Omar's anger flared. "You're protecting that pretentious, nerf-herding exhibitionist?"

"I would protect anyone against this madness," Chae said in a firm voice collecting her thoughts for the battle she knew would come.

"As you wish, Beloved."

Chae was almost thrown off by that word, but her reflexes caught his blade on hers. The lightsabers sparked and spat as the two pressed their weight on each other's blades. Chae jumped back as a levitated hand gun came flying at her face. She sliced the gun in half and scowled at Omar.

"So that's what you've learned, huh? How to fight dirty?"

Omar smiled. "This isn't some stupid sparring match. When I fight, anything goes."

Chae blocked the attempted attacks, trying to keep the reactions faster than his blade. Omar broke away, then stepped forward to plague her with more assaults. He drove her backwards, Chae almost noticed it too late, but when he stopped attacking her and turned around, Chae used the Force for a burst of speed back to Obi-Wan's side. She barely stopped Omar's blade from hitting Obi-Wan. Locked in a stale mate, Chae didn't even think about her moves, she used the Force to twist Omar's hand around and kicked the lightsaber out of his clutch. The lightsaber flew high above their heads. Omar jumped to reclaim his weapon, but Chae already had already caught the lightsaber with the Force and called the handle to her other hand.

Omar landed in a crouch and slowly stood. "All right, Chae. You win. Slay me." Chae recoiled her arm in preparation to do so. _Do it Chae!_ She ordered herself in thought, _I can't kill Omar! But I must do it now before he has another chance to kill Obi-Wan! _Her hands quivered as the debate carried on in her mind.

Omar took his final chance, he jumped over her and aimed a deadly kick at Obi-Wan. Chae could do nothing but scream "no!" as the azure blade sprouted from Omar's back. Omar choked trying to speak. Obi-Wan yanked his blade out of Omar's torso, a hole was burned through Omar's chest marking the blade's piercing. He fell to his knees, a small control device fell out of his robes, clattering on the floor. Omar collapsed beside it. His eyes failed to focus and his body went limp as his final breath left his lips.

Chae picked up the remote and examined it. "Energy Cage..." She read along the side. A light signalled the operation of a detainment field. Something in the Force told her to deactivate it. As she did, her father's voice suddenly filled her mind.

_Chae what's going on? Where are you? Are you hurt?_

_No father, I am fine. But Obi-Wan has been hurt and lost a lot of blood, we must get him to a facility quickly. _

Chae took out a bandage from her utility beltand wrapped it tightly around Obi-Wan's leg. "Hang on Obi-Wan, we'll get you to a hospital. Our masters are on their way."

"Chae...I'm...sorry." The loss of blood finally took its toll; Obi-Wan passed out.

One of the blast shield doors glowed red and a sepia lightsaberblade was easing through. Chae went and kneeled over Omar's body. She pressed her lips to his forehead. "I'm sorry you were lost to the Darkside, Omar. May you be one with the Force and make peace with your deeds in this life." She took off her hooded cloak and placed it over the deceased.

The golden blade slowly cut its way down the length of the door. Soon after it was pried open by the Jedi masters. Qui-Gon and Plo Koon instantly dropped to one knee to examine the unconscious Obi-Wan.

"The ship Obi-Wan used is just outside that tunnel," Chae said, pointing.

"I'll take him to the nearest medical ward immediately." Plo Koon, physically the stronger of the two masters, lifted Obi-Wan easily and proceeded out the tunnel Chae had indicated.

Qui-Gon looked sternly at his daughter. Chae looked down at her feet awaiting the oncoming lecture. Then he embraced her suddenly. "I'm so happy you're still alive."

Chae smiled and wrapped her arms around her father to return the hug. "The feeling's mutual," she replied.

Qui-Gon released her, but held onto her shoulder, while pointing his index finger at her. "This doesn't mean you've gotten off scot-free, young lady. I will make sure you are suitably punished when we get back to Coruscant."

"I can't wait," Chae lied. Her eyes drifted to the covered Omar. Qui-Gon followed her line of sight. _What did I miss? Where did I falter? What void did the Darkside fill that I neglected?_ Chae thought out loud.

"Do not place any blame on yourself, my child. Omar, as each of us must, chose his own path. We can advice and try to choose for our loved ones with all of our might, but in the end, it is the conscious decision of the individual that leads to their happiness or their sorrow. All you can do now is mourn the loss of a good man who chose adifferent path. Do not obsessively analyse the past to find your possible errors in life. In doing so, you'll only kill a part of yourself."

"I understand, father, but...do you think you could hold me for a little bit? As long as I can remember everything always seems all right when I'm in my daddy's arms."

Qui-Gon smiled and hugged his daughter once more as her tears fell upon his shoulder.

THE END

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**Notes from the author:**

This story is the first part of what I hope will eventually become a trilogy. This story was written by myself and by the following people: Betsy Luntao, Jaime Lugas, Sam Lee and "Leia Jade". There was another girl involved but, unforntunately, I've forgotten her name. We wrote this as part of a "Star Wars story writing club" that I was a member of but, for some reason, suddenly stopped. I felt it would be only fair to mention the other girls. They were involved with this story too and it wouldn't be fair to claim all the credit for this story. I've done some editing to it but, for the most part, I have stuck to the original text.


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